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Effective Professional Leadership
Alternate PL - Call to Action
The time for change is now. Let’s move beyond compliance and create a culture where professional learning is a partnership, not a prescription.
WHY: The motivation for this presentation came from years of witnessing the limitations of “sit and get” PL in my organization and across the sector. Teachers deserve better than compliance-driven, generic workshops. The urgency is personal: I have seen talented colleagues disengage and leave because they felt unsupported and uninspired. The research confirms what we know intuitively—active, ongoing, and relevant PL is essential for real change. The precedents are clear: organizations that invest in transformative PL see better retention, morale, and student outcomes.
Active, job-embedded learning has completely changed my perspective on professional development in education. Engaging methods like collaborative lesson design and co-teaching have led to implementation rates as high as 98%, compared to the single-digit results from traditional workshops. Learning directly in the classroom has proven beneficial for both educators and students (Balta, 2023).
I’ve also realized how valuable personalized, collaborative professional learning is. Working together with my colleagues to design lessons and provide feedback accelerates our growth and aligns with our goals for student achievement, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
What stands out to me is that effective professional learning is an ongoing journey. With regular coaching and support, we tackle challenges and enhance our teaching practices more effectively (Darling-Hammond, 2009). By incorporating expert help into our routines, I’ve found it easier to master new instructional strategies, ultimately benefiting our students (McDowell, 2021).
The Story Behind the Story: Rationale and Reflection
WHAT: The presentation is structured as a Canva Template, designed for adaptability and reuse in various settings (leadership meetings, faculty workshops, onboarding). It synthesizes key points from research, our module readings, and is grounded in the five principles of effective PL, used to connect with the audience, in line with Duarte’s presentation principles. Active, hands-on learning sessions model high-impact teaching strategies, enabling teachers to experience and practice these methods firsthand (Boylan, 2025). Additionally, ongoing coaching and feedback from expert mentors support teachers throughout the implementation process, ensuring that new skills are effectively embedded into their everyday practice.
HOW: I created the presentation using Canva, using a template specifically for PL, a simple design with minimal text per slide, and visuals. Speaker notes provide depth and context, ensuring the presentation can be delivered effectively by different facilitators. I used the Duarte method as a guide, prioritizing audience needs, storytelling, and a clear call to action.
This presentation is not just a proposal—it’s a call to action. The process of creating it was as important as the product: I reflected deeply on our needs, synthesized research and discussion, and designed with empathy for my colleagues and leaders. By adopting a "go & show", we move from passive information delivery to active, transformative growth. The goal is to spark real, lasting change.
Alternate PL - Outline
To break the cycle of ineffective, passive professional development, I am setting a bold, organization-wide goal that we will engage in ongoing, discipline-specific, active, and collaborative professional learning. I believe this will lead to measurable improvements in our instructional practice and student outcomes. This vision responds directly to the shortcomings of traditional “sit and get” workshops, which I know from research and experience have been largely ineffective, disengaging, and disconnected from the daily realities of teaching. Instead, I am committed to a transformative approach—one that embeds professional learning into the fabric of our work, making it relevant, sustained, and impactful for both us as educators and our students.
This alternate professional learning plan is grounded in five key principles of effective professional learning: ongoing duration, robust support, engaged learning, dynamic coaching, and specific content. By adopting these principles, the program promotes continuous improvement and collaboration. Teachers will engage in interactive workshops, peer-led modeling, and professional learning communities, all backed by ongoing coaching and resources. This approach empowers educators and connects professional learning to better student outcomes and a thriving school community.
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